Facade
by Minty-Fivestar
Summary: It's so hard to hold back what you know to be true... and yet is too late to change. Nascour expresses his regrets to Sierra about bringing her into Team Cipher. [Oneshot, Pokemon Colosseum arc]


**Façade  
By: Pichu Star**

Well, after what seems like forever, Pichu Star finally updates with something. Of sorts.

This actually would probably never have been written were it not for the fact that I had to write it for English class. We had to do a character sketch, and after much angst, I finally decided to throw something together with my Pokemon Colosseum characters. You'll notice in this fic that I make no mention of Pokemon whatsoever, and that's the reason why. My teacher might have thought me ill in the head for turning in a Pokemon fanfic... But this way, she'll never know! (grins)

This could take place at anytime during Pokemon Colosseum, really, but I was thinking it more towards the end of the game, probably some time before Wes and Rui defeat Ein. Just a little one-shot attempting to further define the relationship Nascour and Sierra have with each other.

With that, please enjoy.

* * *

Centered within the wide expanse of his office, attentions focused on the mound of paperwork strewn before him on the polished wooden desk, Nascour Breaire barely even looked up at the sound of the door opening, of a subordinate gliding smoothly across the carpet towards him. The subordinate, a young girl only about 16-years old, fell to one knee before his desk and waited patiently for him to notice her. Nascour gave one last frown at the document in front of him, shoved it aside, and finally looked over the desk at her. 

"Miss Sierra," he acknowledged calmly, causing her to glance upwards at him. "What can I do for you?"

The girl smiled and got to her feet again, bowing her head once before speaking. "Master Nascour… I've brought you the data you requested, on Realgam Tower's estimated maintenance costs," she explained, producing a small stack of papers from behind her back.

Nascour smirked. "Thank you, Miss Sierra… You've very prompt." He eased himself out of his leather-bound swivel chair and stepped out from behind the desk to meet her. With a graceful bow, he accepted the papers, and looked over them briefly as Sierra continued to speak.

"It will only be a matter of days before Realgam Tower is completed," she reminded, her voice serious, but her face unable to hide her excitement. "Once we open it to an unsuspecting public, we'll be able to amass the funds needed to expand our control over the Orre region… and perhaps even to neighboring regions."

"…And in time, perhaps the whole world," Nascour finished softly, his smirk widening as he glanced down her. "…You're so amusing, Miss Sierra."

Sierra's smile faded quickly. "W-what? What do you mean by that?" she stammered, her enthusiasm deflating like a balloon with a severe leak.

Nascour shook his head. "Oh, it's just…" He trailed off, and turned to glance out the large glass window stretched across the wall behind his desk. Beyond the pristine glass stretched the bright desert sands of Orre, as far as the eye could see. There were towns and cities beyond the horizon, of course. But if he hadn't known any better, Nascour would have thought that he, at the top floor of his domain, his Realgam Tower, was in the middle of nowhere. "…It's just amusing that you're so excited about this. That's all."

Sierra adopted a small pout. "Why shouldn't I be? This is what Cipher has been working towards since you first started it!" she explained. "I've been with you since day one… Of course I'm excited that our plans are all coming to a peak!"

…Of course she was. Nascour knew that Sierra lived and breathed this criminal organization, worked tirelessly to make its dreams come true. For Cipher's dreams were her dreams, its destiny her destiny. Didn't he think of that three years ago, when he had first asked Sierra and her older brother, Ein, to join his cause? Didn't he think that the sweet-faced, enthusiastic little girl he promised great things to would eventually become one of Cipher's most loyal, most feared elite members?

…Perhaps not.

"Miss Sierra… I'm sorry. Of course you're excited about this. As am I," Nascour told her gently, taking hold of her shoulders and bending down to meet her face-to-face. "It's just… I worry sometimes if I've tainted you, by asking you to join me."

Sierra's face paled noticeably. "Tainted… me….?"

"You're a very intelligent, very capable girl, Miss Sierra. Wise beyond your years, and talented in so many ways. I'm glad to have your services at my disposal, and yet…" Nascour frowned, absently tucking a strand of his long blue hair behind his ear. "…And yet I wonder what you would have become had I not come into your life. If I had not met you and your brother."

"Master Nascour…" Sierra shifted uncomfortably and averted her stare to the floor between them. "Ein and I had a tough time of things when you came in… Our parents were dead, the relatives we lived with didn't care much for us, and we had little money to spare for our future… Ein wasn't going to be able to go to college and pursue his dream of becoming a scientist. I wouldn't have been any better off once I reached that point, either. We had no way of realizing anything we dreamed for. But you… you offered us a chance that we didn't know existed."

"Perhaps I did… But you're still a child, no matter how capable and smart you are. You shouldn't have been brought into this life of crime… of stealing, lying, and murdering. I was being selfish at the time I asked you to join… I saw your abilities and how they could help me, not who you were and what you could have been otherwise…"

Sierra placed a hand on Nascour's arm and smiled up at him, optimism radiating from her face. "Don't be that way," she chided gently. "It's not like you're really that much older than I am. You're what, 24-years old? That's hardly what I'd call senior."

Despite himself, Nascour could not help but laugh. "Ah… but you're right," he admitted. "Still, I was driven to be what I am today. You, at least, had a choice."

"Heh. And maybe I was driven to make the choice that led me here," Sierra countered.

Nascour took a slight step back to observe the girl before him, a mix of admiration and indignation in his face. She looked so mature, yet so young at the same time. She had an air of arrogance about her (no doubt acquired from either him or Ein—one of the two), but her actions betrayed the compassion that still lurked somewhere inside. And despite her having two pistols hanging from either hip, no doubt ready to be drawn and used to carry out Cipher's cruel and ambitious plots… Sierra was still good for a hug. As he demonstrated now by suddenly moving towards her and gathering her close in his arms.

"M-master Nascour…?" she asked uncertainly, taken by surprised at Nascour's sudden act of benevolence. "What… What's this for?"

Nascour squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in her hair, a soft sigh escaping him. "…Mm, no reason, really. I'm just glad… you're not as far gone as I am in all this…" he murmured. "When I think of all the blood on my hands and the stains on my soul… it's kind of nice to know that there's still some light to look forward to."

Sierra smiled against him. "You're not all that bad, sir… Really. If you can say all that, I don't think you can write yourself off as a lost cause just yet."

"…Thanks."

The two finally parted from one another, the moment dissipating away like smoke along a gentle breeze. "Miss Sierra… I'm sorry," Nascour apologized, turning his face away for just a moment. "…Such sentimentalities should not get in the way of our jobs. I still have much work to do here, and I'm sure Ein will be missing you as well. I'm sure there are things you need to complete for him."

Sierra nodded, as her innocent expression hardened into a self-assured, slightly-arrogant look once again. "But of course sir. I apologize for delaying you. With your leave, I'll return to my duties at once."

Nascour turned back to her slowly, a cold sneer written back into his face once more. "Dismissed."

With a parting grin and a deep bow to her master, the young subordinate turned and left the office as quickly as she had come in. The door clicked shut behind her, and Nascour allowed himself to look down at his hand, streaked with a few tears.

"…Ridiculous, that I should be looking for forgiveness from her," he muttered with disgust, wiping them away on his pants. "I'm beyond that."

He slowly made his way back behind his desk to get back to his paperwork. But before he did… he paused, glancing out the window again at the blinding sands still spread out before his view. It seemed so endless…

"…_And yet I wonder what you would have become had I not come into your life…"_

It was a good question, Nascour noted. Perhaps he ought to ask himself the same in a different context…

With a slight smile, he closed his eyes to the light... and allowed himself a single tear.

* * *

As you may notice, Nascour and Alexander seem to have similar mental anguish...

(cough) Anyways... that's that. Something that shows Nascour and Sierra's relationship, as well as the emotional spectrum Nascour is capable of expressing. It's not too often he expresses himself like this, so this is a rare sort of thing.

...And no. This was not intended to be a Nascour/Sierra pairing of any sort. That's actually kinda gross... Nascour is like, eight years older than she is. (twitches) No way. Don't think that, please. It was supposed to be more a brotherly-sisterly kind of relationship.

But in any event, I hope you all enjoyed this little piece. Hope I get a good grade on it. (sweatdrop) Anyways, please review and tell me what you think! Until next time!

(PS: Once again, YES. I'm still working with my other fanfics. I'm sorry it's taking so long to update, but, such is life. Meh.)


End file.
